Scout, The Wonder Dog: 1997-2009

Some folks who read this will already be aware and others have suspected that something was up. The fact is that Saturday evening, we had to put our family's faithful companion to rest. Please understand that I am not some weirdo who thinks so highly of animals that I elevate them to some great, grand and glorious level, I am not that guy. However, I do know that our pets are important to us. They play an integral part in our lives and for those of you that have had or still have cherished pets, you know of what I speak.

Scout was an outstanding pet. She was a guardian of our family and though she spent the majority of her days outside, she loved us unconditionally. Every time I would have to leave to go to seminary, mission trips, conferences and the like, I would have a heart to heart with Scout to let her know she was to keep the family safe. She never failed.

In honor of Scout, I am republishing an article (below) that I wrote nearly 7 years ago, before Ellie was born. My prayer is that you might become more aware of some of the things dogs know instinctively that it takes years for Christians to learn and develop.

Everything I know about behaving like a Christian, I could have learned from my dog. I heard that! You thought, “I knew it, Tiger IS a low down, dirty dog.” Seriously, Christians are called to behave a certain way. The Scriptures are full of behaviors and characteristics that the Christian should exhibit. These characteristics are outlined by individuals such as, Jesus Christ, along with His disciples in various places throughout the New Testament. The simple fact of the matter is that my dog, Scout, exemplifies these for me on a daily basis. Before you jump to conclusions, keep reading.

When I come home, regardless of the circumstances, Scout is happy to see me. Paige has told me that when Scout hears my car, sometimes from several blocks away, she starts running laps around the backyard and meets me at the gate. When I step through the gate everything I am wearing and/or carrying gets a sniff and any exposed skin that she can reach gets a lick. Scout always exhibits joy and caring, even when I have to scold her. When strangers visit, Scout gets so excited that sometimes she forgets that we don’t jump on people. She wants to interact with everyone who might be brave enough to come inside the fence. Even the meter reader has figured out that she means him no harm. He has begun to come inside the fence and read the meter instead of merely estimating our power usage each month. ( NOTE: I can't speak for the UPS man in her later years. Something happened there and I am just not sure what. All I know is when the little brown truck came within 300 yards of our house, Scout transformed into some alter ego and I would have to go meet the truck if I wanted what he was bringing- it wasn't pretty, but I digress.)

It makes no difference what you look like or how you dress, Scout is still interested in you. Scout also protects her territory and us. She has an interesting ability to recognize who belongs around the place and who doesn’t. If you are not on her mental list, I dare say you would have difficulty working up enough courage to step through the fence. Being half German Shepherd and half Labrador, Scout can look as menacing as they come. The hair along her back stands straight up and her bark belies her gentle nature. We know exactly when something is going on anywhere around the house. When push came to shove I think she would sacrifice herself for Paige or me (NOTE: And Ellie... forget about it- you just didn't mess with Ellie if Scout was around.)

Loyalty and obedience are her strong suits. She spends 99% of her time outside, but on special evenings, “Mom” allows her to come in and hang out with us. She never messes up if you know what I mean. She will walk around the house for several minutes, checking out anything that might have changed since her last visit. Eventually, she calms down and lies on the floor either by Paige or me. On very special nights, even though Scout is thigh high to me and weighs over 100 lbs., I allow her to jump up with me in the recliner and I pet her until my feet begin to fall asleep. She did it when she was a puppy and she still sees herself as a lap dog. You have never seen a more content look on a face than when Scout is being loved on by her master.

Joy, caring, love, protection, loyalty and obedience make up a list of characteristics that the average Christian would do well to develop. It comes naturally to dogs when they are properly treated. We humans needed the grace of Christ to defeat our sinful nature and give us the ability to attain these attributes. You might say that these things can become “second nature” to those of us who have a general understanding of what our Lord and Savior desires of us. We are all properly treated by our God and we would do well to adopt the habit of regularly spending time reclining at the throne of our Master.